fergie1001

The right front headlight sometimes doesn't work on our Lexus. One time my wife was driving home after dark and it didn't work. When she got home I tried it and it worked fine. A couple days ago she was pulled over by the police because the same headlight was out. Once again when I went to try it, it was fine. Does anyone have any idea what might be the problem. Loose connection or wiring?? By the way... I have been reading about the windows popping out and the clips breaking. Same thing happened at around 60,000 miles to the right side, with no tint. CPO warranty covered it thank God!! I love the car, but I have a 2003 S-10 with ZERO problems!!

Thanks!!!

clc5145

Same thing happened to me. Bulb would work for a while then shut off. My HID bulb was starting to go bad. It would flicker some and began to turn purplish. Replaced and works great. Try switching the left and right bulbs and see if the problem switches too.

Macklin

I've seen some other posts on this. Sounds like typical symptoms of a bad bulb.

dreyfus

If you immediately turn your headlights off and back on does the passenger light come back on? If so, you have a bad bulb. It's easy to replace yourself. The part will set you back $240 though (OEM through the dealer).

1. Remove the plastic HID socket cover by turning it counter-clockwise.

2. Remove the silver metal socket fitting attached to the braided cable by turning counter-clockwise about 45 degrees and pulling towards you.

3. There's a U-shaped set spring retainer that has kind of curled circle ends. This holds the bulb assembly in place by locking into notches on either side at roughly 11:00 & 1:00 on the housing. Pinch those two curled ends towards each other and pull them out and down to clear the notches and swing the retainer downward. This will release the bulb in the very center of the unit.

4. Pull the bulb out by it's base. It's about 3" long and comes straight out. Don't touch the glass if you intend to reuse the bulb.

5. The Toyota HID bulb is part # 90981-20024 (for my 2007 ES350).

6. Holding the new bulb by the base and without touching the glass, push the bulb back into the hole. There are notches & tabs in the base and mount that must match. Just rotate the bulb until it catches.

7. Reset the retaining spring by swinging it up and pushing it in while pinching the curled ends a bit. Release the ends when they lock into the metal notches on the housing. Make sure the retainer is secure before proceeding.

8. Reattach the metal socket fitting by pushing in at and turning clockwise 45 degrees from roughly a 10:00 to a 12:00 position.

9. Reattach the plastic cover by turning it clockwise.

That's all there is to it.

fergie1001

Thanks for the reply! I have never seen it out. It just seems to happen to my wife (when the police are around to give her a warning). I just drove it to work this morning, about 20 minutes and it was on the whole time. The night she came home after the police, it came right on. That's the only time I have checked it. Still not sure what to do. I guess I could switch them from side to side like someone else suggested. It is a simple procedure, but it is very tight getting my hand in the close quarters. I hate to spend $240 until I'm sure! Thanks again!

lanb

Wow ! These 2007 ES350's have the same pattern don't they ?

Here is what happened to my 2007 ES350 (May 2007 build) today.

Off to Manual on - Left headlight turns on for a second and immediately turns off
Manual on to Auto - Left headlight is off
Leaving it in Auto - Left headlight is off

Right headlight is fine.

Questions -
1. Is this a bad bulb ? If so, why does it turn on for a second ?
2. I read somewhere that it is recommended to replace both bulb's simultaneously. Is that
right ? That means a $480 cost.
3. Any cheaper source for HID bulbs ?
4. Lastly, Is 4 years the normal lifespan of a HID bulb ?

P.S - The parking and daylight bulbs light up fine on both sides

garsarno

For what it's worth, my former 2007 with 54,900 miles and five years had no HID problems at all. Passenger window did fall out and a new transmission at 1,000 miles were the only significant repairs.

dreyfus

There's no doubt that you need a new bulb. The intermittent failures (turn it off then back on to relight) are how this type of bulb fails. I lived with the decaying functionality for a month or so until I finally replaced it. Replacing it yourself using the instructions I posted above is the way to go if you want to save time and money.

No, you don't have to replace the headlights in pairs. If you bought a non-OEM bulb there's a chance for a color or brightness difference which is eliminated if you buy two. I replaced my single bulb last December with one from the dealer and they look perfectly fine. Cheaper ones are available from various parts stores, but I elected to go through Lexus.

I've a 2007 with over 108,000 miles on it and haven't had any problem with the other headlight. The first bulb went out somewhere around 90,000 miles. This is more miles than your car but along the same number of years.

lanb

Thanks guys.

I looked around a little bit and the prices are all over from $50 to $150 for the
Philips D4S OEM HID bulb.

I also found some info that stated Toyota had now switched to the
HARISON-TOSHIBA d4s hid bulb for lexus & toyota. Any truth to this ?

Road Rage

Typical bulb going bad, eventually it will go out and not come back on. See this all the time in the shop.

lanb

I got the philips bulb from Amazon for $50. Quick question about the above procedure -

I am assuming the plastic HID socket cover is accessed by opening the hood
and from the inside, right ?

dreyfus

That's correct. All the work is done from the back of the bulb, not the front.

lanb

Thanks Dreyfus. Just finished up with changing the bulb and it works fine now.

BTW, your instructions were awesome and without it, i would have been stumped as
the work area is small and the myriad of clips are confusing.

After changing the bulb and engine air filter i have come to the conclusion that
Lexus really does not want DIYers. They make these simple things hard by making
the access cramped.

mullexus

I have a Lexus 2007 350 ES. The driver side head lamp was going out intermittantly . I switched the bulbs and the problem has gotten worse.
The driver side still goes out intermittantly but now occasionally both sides while driving will just go out at the same time.
To me this does not sound like a bulb issue since both sides will go off simultaneously.
If I turn the lights off then back on both lights will come back on.
Also, I've noticed that when just sitting parked with the headlights on. They occassionally flicker .
Any idea ?

garsarno

Saw second E350 with one headlight out in span of month (different color than first). Seems there is a quality issue here as the only vehicle I have seen with a consistent headlight problem is Chevrolet / GMC pickup trucks. And this is in small city of Wilkes Barre, PA.